Top photo: Record breakers: Chestertonís 3,200 relay team poses on the awards stand
after their record breaking performance Saturday night at the State Finals
meet in Indianapolis on Saturday. Front row: (left to right) Ali Bishel and
Cassie Peller. Back row: Mandi Loving and Kelly Peller.

In contrast to the previous evening when the boys contested their
championship, near-perfect weather conditions greeted the field and a crowd
of 4,627 for the 30th Annual Girls Track and Field State Finals at the
Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium in Indianapolis, on Saturday,
June 7, 2003.

The evening got off to a blazing fast start when Chestertonís 3,200 Meter
Relay team made their dreams a reality by setting a new state mark. Mandi
Loving (12), Ali Bishel (9), Kelly Peller (9) and Cassie Peller (11)
combined their talents to finish in 9:11.30, erasing the state meet mark of
9:13.41 set by Carmel a year ago.

Cassie Peller followed that effort with second place finish in the 800,
while anchoring the 15th place relay team of Loving, Alissa Bishel and Kelly
Peller.

Other Chesterton medalists included Emily Pratherís fourth place finish in
the shot put, Mary Ballinger eighth in the 3,200 and Sarah Kehe eighth in
the 1,600. Loving went on to 22nd in the 400. As a team the Lady Trojans
finished seventh overall with a total of 28 points.

The stateís number-one team, Fort Wayne Northrop, was expected to be front
and center in the eveningís festivities as the Bruins set out for an
unprecedented fourth consecutive state title and sixth overall. Warren
Central had other ideas, as the eastside Indianapolis school gathered in
three first place finishes early to take what appeared to be, at the time, a
near insurmountable margin, leading by as many as 26 points as the meet
wound down.

However, it all came down to the final event of the evening, the final heat
of the 1600 Meter Relay. Fort Wayne Northrop started in lane one, with
Warren Central in lane four and all eyes were focused on the outcome.

But the result was settled quickly, as Northrop jumped out front early and
never looked back, with Lakeesha Burnett (10), Tamara Adams (9), Natasha
Fletcher (10) ad Shauntel Elcock (10) winning in a time of 3:47.94.

With Warren Central unable to do any better than fourth in the event, the
Bruins and coach Tom Knudson were state champs again by a 93-85 margin.

The 93 points tallied by the Bruins set a new standard for points scored in
the girls track and field competition. The previous high total was 70,
scored by Gary Wallace in 1993.

Warren Central entered the winnerís circle in the 100 Meter Hurdles, when
Briana Cunningham (11) led the field across the finish line in 14:32, the
second year in a row that a Warrior had captured the top prize.

Cunningham returned to the top of the field in the 300 Meter Hurdles,
outrunning the rest of the contenders in a time of 42.74.

Warren Centralís Lorian Price (12) was dominant in the Long Jump.

After an 18-05.75 performance in 2002, she increased that effort by one
foot, three inches and closed out the dayís action in the event at 19-08.75,
eight inches ahead of second place.

Warren Central was back in the win column again in the High Jump, with
Mariesa Greene (11) getting over the bar at 5-09.00. She had finished second
last year, performing in a Richmond High School uniform.

Fort Wayne Northrop did not reach the top of the podium until the 400 Meter
Relay and when they did, they did it in style, turning in a time of 45.75,
smashing the old mark of 47.32, set by cross-town rival Concordia last year.
Tamara Adams (9), Lakeita Rox (12), Kyndal Carr (11) and Zakiya Robinson
(11) carried the mail for the Bruins.

Northrop was back in the winnersí circle for the second time in the 400
Meter Dash, as Elcock and Burnett finished one-two to chop Warren Centralís
once-huge lead to only eight points at the time.

And then, Northrop finally took over the points lead, finishing
one-two-three in the 200 Meters, with Elcock showing the way at 24.22,
Robinson finishing second and Carr third.

Christina Poulson (12) of Delta has owned the 100 Meter Dash the past two
seasons and she made it three in a row on Saturday in a time of 11.75, her
best effort of the trio of titles she has garnered in the event.

Katie Harrington (11) gave Carmel its two top efforts on the evening,
turning in a record setting 4:49.38 as the 2002 cross country champion went
on to win by over four seconds in the 1600 Meter Run, moving up from her
second place slot a year back. The previous mark was set by Sherry Hoover of
Woodlan in 1985, with a 4:49.54. She then returned to capture the 3200 Meter
Run by a margin of 14 seconds in a time of 10.27.08.

Another mark bit the dust late in the competition in the 800 Meter Run, as
Temeka Kincy (11) carried on some of the excitement the Lawrence North boys
had generated the previous night with their third straight championship, as
she romped home in the record time of 2:09.82.

The previous standard of 2:09.99 had been set in 1985 by Kari Krehnbrink of
Lafayette Jefferson.

For the first time in the history of the sport, Pole Vaulting entered the
competition as a non-scoring event. Tori Allen (10) of Lawrence Central was
an easy winner with a vault of 11-10.25, just over a foot higher than her
closest competitor, thus establishing the new standard.

In the other field events, Lafayette Jefferson grabbed their first 10 points
of the day as Liz Honegger (12), fifth place finisher a year ago at 131-07,
bettered that mark by 18 feet, turning in a 149-07 in the Discus.

And Honegger wasnít finished for the day, as she moved over to the Shot Put
arena, where she was third a season ago, and gathered in her second blue
ribbon there with a put of 46-04.25.